How to create Progressive Disclosure?

Step 1: User Research

User Research is the first step and the key component of designing, planning for Progressive Disclosure starts from here. It is important for Progressive Disclosure component to show the relevant and important information at first and for that we need to understand what’s most important for the user. Take detailed notes of the user research, analyze the information, understand the trend, and organize data for multiple components (menu, accordion, tab, multiple pages etc.) for Progressive Disclosure.

Step 2: Reduce information/features

Next step is to ensure that we show the visitors exactly what they need and show additional information to them only when they need it. For that divide the design into features (menu, accordion, tab, multiple pages etc.) with prioritizing the key and relevant information.

Step 3: Follow the “more clicks” formula

This means we divide the application or website into multiple segments where more information is disclosed when the visitors click. The mantra for Progressive Disclosure is – more clicks, less thinking, faster satisfaction.

Step 4: Iterate

Progressive Disclosure is complex to achieve and we need to take care of a lot of features depending on what we are building, you won’t reach to a really good design just in the first go so take feedback from users and Iterate and repeat this step until you have professional appearing Progressive Disclosure components for your design.

Progressive disclosure is a design principle that aims to enhance user experience by revealing information gradually, based on user interactions and needs. By presenting only essential information upfront and progressively revealing more advanced or detailed options as users delve deeper into a system or interface, progressive disclosure reduces cognitive overload and helps users navigate complex environments more effectively. In this article, we’ll delve into the concept of progressive disclosure, its benefits, and how it’s applied in various domains to improve usability and user satisfaction.